


Wonderland

by sweetlouist91



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternatives Universe - Faerie, Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Christmas Tree Decorating, Drama Student Louis, Fae & Fairies, Fairies, Fluff, Happy Ending, Human Louis, Niall Horan & Louis Tomlinson Friendship, Snow, University Student Louis, Winter fic, faerie harry, louis’ family are mentioned, theyre besties
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-22
Updated: 2017-12-22
Packaged: 2019-02-18 13:37:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,258
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13101300
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sweetlouist91/pseuds/sweetlouist91
Summary: For the prompt: Harry the fairy takes up residence in Louis’ attic to hibernate through the cold months, but Louis ends up finding him whilst putting up the Christmas decorations. Queue grumpy Harry being woken up, but he can't go back to sleep once he's tried to hibernate, so he starts following Louis around, full of excitement and questions about his first Christmas.





	Wonderland

**Author's Note:**

  * For [LadyLondonderry](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyLondonderry/gifts).



> I really hope you enjoy reading this as much as I loved writing it. 
> 
> Thank you Bri for beta-ing for me. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy this :)

Louis Tomlinson was stressed. Scratch that, he was very, very stressed.

From the minute he awoke that morning everything had been an absolute disaster which resulted in his current position, lying on the dusty attic floor amidst countless boxes of Christmas decorations.

His alarm had gone off at seven am, despite it being the holidays, and Louis had been unable to get back to sleep. He had trundled downstairs for a cup of tea only to find he had ran out of milk, and all that was left in his fridge was an out of date yoghurt and a lump of cheese. Instead of going shopping like he should have done he collapsed back into bed and then his mother phoned. And that’s when this day really went downhill.

She had phoned to inform him that instead of going to visit his family back home in Doncaster, which had been the plan for at least six months now, they had decided to come and visit him for the holidays. In two days time.

It wasn’t that Louis didn’t like Christmas, he did, he loved it in fact just as he loved the winter season in general, but this year he hadn’t bothered put up decorations seeing as he was _meant_ to be going to visit his family. So after the phone call that landed him in this mess he had dragged himself up to the attic to look for decorations, and had prayed that there would still be some there.

The house had once belonged to his grandmother who had moved to Doncaster to be closer to her daughter and the house had been left to the family. When Louis had left school to go to university the house had been perfect for him. It had meant he didn’t need to stay in the cramped dorms, but the campus was only a twenty minute walk away.

It was an old style house, fit with large rooms and hidden parlours, and open fireplaces that crackled softly all winter. It overlooked a huge pine forest, and Louis could still remember walking through there with his gran on cold winter mornings, as he had spent every Christmas here with his mum and sisters. Even now, every day Louis walked through the woods down the well-worn path to the lake. 

That was another thing he missed out on this morning.

Miraculously, after what had seemed like hours searching in amongst the mountain of boxes littering the attic floor, he had found some decorations that he deemed fit enough to be used. To his astonishment there was even a scrawny plastic tree with its wire branches sticking out in all directions, most of the greenery having fallen off long ago.

Louis sighed and got to work, dragging box after box through the house to the living room. Exhausted already, but determined to get finished for his families impending arrival, he took out the tree, scratching himself and swearing quite a bit in the process, and placed it in the corner, turning it so that its best side was facing the room. 

Or perhaps its least awful side was the best way to describe it, considering it was drooping sadly to the left, sparse branches sticking out in all directions. Blinking around at the boxes he wondered where he should start.

Tinsel, he supposed would be the first point of call, and he picked up the box with parts of the stuff poking out the lid, opened it, and promptly dropped it onto the floor. Then he started to scream.

Nestled inside the box of tinsel, curled up in a ball was what appeared to Louis to be a tiny man. Sleeping. In his tinsel. Louis sucked in a deep breath, cold air rushing into his lungs. 

This couldn't be real, he thought to himself, he had to be dreaming it was the only rational explanation. Or he was possibly drugged. Maybe both. Kneeling down to the box, Louis carefully eased it open once again. 

He came face to face with a pair of furious green eyes.

The man had pushed himself up to his full height, which Louis guessed was around six inches tall, curly brown hair spilling around his face in artful waves. He was screaming at Louis, but he didn't hear a word. He was too busy staring at the wings protruding from the man's back, light green fading into almost black, flecked with gold dust and flapping agitatedly. There was no other way for it. 

Louis fainted.

∆

He came to slowly, blinking his eyes open to remove the fuzziness, static still buzzing in his ears. Staring upright he saw, to his dismay, that the winged man had perched himself on the sofa next to Louis' face. When he realised Louis was awake he looked down sheepishly, wringing his hands together and grimacing awkwardly. Louis watched him take a deep breath, his eyes flicking back up to search Louis' own.

“I believe we may not have had the best of starts,” he began, his voice high and musical, yet slow, soft. “My name is Athadriel and I am terribly sorry for making you faint like that.”

Louis gaped at him, his mouth having temporarily forgotten how to form words. 

The man- Athadriel simply smiled patiently waiting for Louis to calm himself down. 

Regaining his wits he tried to ask Athadriel what he was doing sleeping in a box in Louis’ attic, but the message got lost on the way to his mouth because what came out was, “what the fuck are you?”

“I am one of the gifted, but I believe you would know me as a faerie,” Athadriel replied, smiling kindly despite Louis lack of manners, or apparently, sense.

“Fuck,” he whispered again softly. “But... but how are you real?”

Athadriel blushed, “well... just the same way as you were made 'real.'”

And fuck, Louis did not need to be thinking about faerie sex right now. “That's not what I... You know what never... never-mind.” He ran a shaking hand through his hair, staring at a very tiny, very real faerie, who was looking back at him with kind amusement sparkling in his forest green eyes.

“I believe that this must be quite shocking for you but, I assure you I mean no harm. I simply wanted to spend the cold months somewhere other than the forest now that I am permitted to leave. Your sparkling box was lovely.” A flicker of annoyance passed over his face. 

“You woke me,” he accused, staring at Louis, “now I will not be able to return to my hibernation.”

Louis gaped at him, eyes travelling over his angry expression. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it I just-“ didn’t think you were fucking real, Louis added in his head.

The faerie sighed, running a hand through his hair and looking contemplatingly at Louis.

“It is alright, although, well now I do not have anywhere else to go,” he said, uncertainty once more clouding his features.

Louis took one look at him, sighed, and said, “You can stay with me. My name is Louis Tomlinson,” (and I'm fucking screwed.)

∆

Half an hour later and Louis had yet to get up off the floor, shock over finding the fae- _Athadriel_ still lingering in the air. 

Said faerie was currently whizzing round the room, laying his tiny hands on anything he could find, muttering to himself about the strangeness of the human race. Groaning, Louis dragged himself upright, surveying the mess that once was his living room.

Athadriel was currently hovering over the bedraggled mess of a tree standing sadly in the corner of the room, branches drooping and looking just a bit drunk. He turned to meet Louis' eyes, waving his arms at the tree in question.

“What in the worlds is this?”

“A Christmas tree?” Louis said tentatively, rubbing his temples. “Look I know it's not great, it's been in the attic a while.”

“That is not a tree,” the faerie said, looking sadly at Louis. “It is no longer living, I cannot feel it.”

“It's plastic,” Louis said confusedly, absently scratching the back of his neck.

“You create living things from plastic?”   
Athadriel said, looking awed. “Incredible.”

“Wait, no. No, it was never alive. It's for Christmas, it gets brought out once a year and shoved back in it's box in the attic.”

Athadriel turned back to Louis, who, to his horror, noticed tears forming in the faerie’s eyes.

“How could you be so cruel to something that is so important to life? Trees are alive Louis, you can feel their energy out there. How could you do this?”

Louis sighed, feeling the beginning of a headache forming as the faerie continued to cry softly. 

“Look, it's not just me alright, there are plenty of other people with a Christmas tree. Plus it's so much cheaper than buying a real one every year that's just going to get pine needles everywhere.”

Athadriel's eyes lit up, and suddenly he was whirling round towards Louis, excitement written all over his face.

“Real trees? Oh Louis, that is wonderful. Louis you should purchase one of these right away, and save this poor thing here.”

“That wasn’t the p-” Louis trailed off, stopped by the look in Athadriel's eyes, a look that clearly meant 'go get a tree or get out.'

“Look, I don't have the money for a tree, and it's too close to Christmas now. All the good ones'll be gone...” he finished lamely.

“Then I shall get you one,” the faerie said simply. “Remove this please,” he said and Louis, torn between wanting to do whatever he said and running as far away form there as possible, complied, picking up the sad excuse for a tree and dragging it back to it’s box.

He stood back to watch Athadriel, eyes shut, forehead knitted in concentration, muttering softly under his breath with his hands outstretched. Then, impossibly, Louis watched as light began to flow from the faeries hands, forming a ball, and then stretching outwards to illuminate the room. 

Louis was forced to shut his eyes as the white hot light burned into his retinas, and when he opened them he almost fainted for the second time that day.

In the corner where the wilting tree had once stood there was now a six foot tall pine tree with full branches of green needles and real roots spreading from the base. 

“What the actual fuck?” Louis whispered, running his hands through his hair and shaking his head.

“It is a tree,” Athadriel said proudly. “It is happy Louis, you have a lovely home.”

“I- It- It's telling you that is it.”

“Trees can't speak Louis,” the faerie turned to him with an exasperated look on his face. “I can sense it's aura that is all.”

“Right,” Louis squeaked. “Right, of course.”

Naturally, that was the moment Louis' phone decided to ring, Athadriel leaping of his perch on the tree and flapping around in a panic.

“No, look it's just my phone yeah? It's just-” Niall.

Louis swiped right, holding the phone up to his ear with bated breath as he watched the still frightened faerie buzz around his living room.

“Heya mate, how's the hols going, are ya all packed for visiting your mum, shit are ya meant to be going today, are ya driving, sorry Lou I can phone back I-”

“Niall, it's fine I'm not driving anywhere calm down.” What was with him today, why was everyone around him having a meltdown.

“Oh, right,” Niall paused on the other end of the line “Wha'd'ya mean you’re not goin anywhere?”

“There's been a change of plans. Mum's coming here instead so I'm having to set up Christmas here. It's a bit hectic.” 

Understatement of the year. Or perhaps the century.

Athadriel chose that moment to chime in, rather loudly. “What is this Christmas you keep speaking of?”

Fuck.

“Who was that?” Niall asked, instantly suspicious.

“No one,” Louis answered, and even to him it sounded pathetic.

Silence.

“I-okay I have a guest staying for a few days,”

“Cool. What’s his name.” Trust Niall to jump straight in without batting an eyelid.

Fuck. He couldn’t exactly say Athadriel. Niall would throw a fit and drive straight over. “His name..... eh his name is...”. Ariel? Hadriel? Hariel? “His name’s Harry.”

Athadriel glanced over, narrowing his eyes at Louis, and he could already tell that the faerie was going to argue about this.

“Look Niall, I really have to go love, I'll text you okay?”

“Alright Tommo, enjoy Christmas ya cunt,” Niall said laughing as he ended their call.

Louis shut off his phone, smiling and shaking his head at the ridiculousness of his best friend.

“Harry?” Athadriel asked sharply.

Louis sighed. ”Look, I couldn’t call you by your real name, Ni- my friend would throw a fit and I can’t. I just can’t deal with that today.”

Athadriel's eyes narrowed, contemplating, before his face cleared. “Harry shall be my human name,” he said smiling.

“Harry it is then,” Louis said with a relived smile.

The faerie fluttered over to Louis, pressing a tiny hand to his forehead and humming softly. Louis raised his eyebrows slightly, but chose to ignore the strange proceedings by smiling at Harry instead, both of them grinning as he removed his hand.

∆

Twenty minutes later found Louis, cup of tea in hand, still without milk unfortunately ugh, once again attempting to set up Christmas in his living room.

Except he was now doing it with the help of a very excited faerie who was flying around the room and generally getting in the way of Louis' attempts. Louis found that he didn't particularly mind this, considering he had the whole house to decorate in one day, and it had already gone three o'clock. Yes, Harry was a welcome distraction, that was until he had took it upon himself to fly into one of the boxes out of sheer excitement and get trapped. Louis sighed. This was going to be a long day.

After carefully extricating Harry from the box of tinsel Louis dragged it over to the tree.

“What are you doing with my sparkle bed Louis?” Harry asked excitedly. It seemed after his initial shock of waking up Harry had settled down, and was now extremely curious and excited at seeing his first winter.

“Sparkle bed,” Louis repeated under his breath, huffing a soft laugh. 

“This is tinsel,” he explained to a bemused Harry. “It goes on the tree yeah? Makes it look nice,” he paused, rolling his eyes. “Sparkly.”

Harry nodded in interest, plucking at the tinsel in Louis' hands. Shooing him out the way, Louis reached up and began the long process of wrapping the tree in tinsel, trying and generally failing to make it look somewhat acceptable.

Barely minutes had gone by before Harry said “may I help you with that,” already fluttering up above Louis’ head to land delicately on a branch. Louis looked up at him in slight exasperation, already formulating a reply somewhere along the lines of 'I'm fine on my own, thanks.'

Clearly, Harry could see the answer written on his face, immediately dropping his gaze to the floor, looking so utterly dejected that Louis had no choice but to say yes.

“If you could just pull this end up to the top that'd be great,” Louis said, handing Harry the end of the tinsel. He had expected Harry to use his magical abilities, much like when he grew this goddamn tree right out of the floor of Louis' living room, but Harry instead was choosing to move the tinsel manually, a mix of flying and climbing the tree.

Louis watched on in amusement and terror as Harry made his way slowly to the top of the tree, slipping and falling all the way until he sat proudly, looking down at Louis' amused expression.

“All done,” he announced happily, with all the proud excitement he could muster. Which was a lot. How was he so happy.

Louis smirked, dragging the box of tinsel closer and pointing to it. “You forgot about this,” he said, giggling at the expression on the tiny faerie's face as it went from pleased to horrified in the space of about two seconds.

“But... how will we ever get finished with this,” he said despairingly, diving dramatically off of his perch on the tree straight into the box. Louis heard an 'oof' as he hit the bed of tinsel awaiting him. He smiled, watching as Harry popped up indignantly from his tinsel, harrumphing and batting away stray pieces of the stuff.

“Y'know this usually takes people all day to do,” Louis said conspiratorially, reaching around Harry and grabbing another piece, heading back to the tree. “Best get a move on.”

A few moments later Louis heard a sigh from behind him, then a strange hissed rustling. 

He had barely had time to turn around before streams of tinsel shot up and over his head, wrapping themselves delicately around the tree.

Louis looked incredulously down at the little faerie who was shyly picking at the edge of the now empty box.

“A bit impatient are we?” Louis asked, amused.

“I wished to help you Louis,” Harry said softly, “I also wished to see the decorating of the tree for myself. But I wished to see it sometime this century, and I’m afraid it would have taken you far longer if you had decorated the whole thing by hand."

He smiled up at Louis, pulling a shocked laugh from him and soon Harry joined in. If Louis had thought his voice was melodious, it was nothing compared to the faerie’s laugh. His laugh was like pure sunlight, high and bright, woven into the most beautiful music.

Some time later when they had calmed down, laughs gone from loud and uproarious to soft and hiccuped, Harry had come out of the box to rest on Louis' shoulder, his body a light weight, wings tickling Louis' neck. Harry had his knees pulled up against his chest, curled tightly in on himself, and was still letting out huffed laughs every so often, constant smile plastered on his face

“So,” Louis murmured, unwilling to break the moment lest he ruin the atmosphere, “I guess we should get back to decorating then huh.”

Harry yawned, smacking his lips together before looking up at Louis reproachfully. 

“There's more? I thought you said we were done.”

Louis laughed at his indignant expression, kneeling down to a box of decorations. 

“Done with tinsel, yeah, but we've still got all this to do.”

Harry pouted, and with much huffing and some encouragement from Louis he agreed to help with decorating. Time passed in a blur of laughter, light and the sights and smells of Christmas. 

At one point Louis realised that he was having the most fun he had had in a long time, aided by the presence of Harry, who directed Louis sleepily from his spot on his shoulder, musical laughter often springing forth from his lips.

When at last the final decoration went up, and all that was left was the star on top of the tree, Louis nudged Harry off his perch, handing him the sparkling star and pointing to the top. “Think you can manage?” he quipped, Harry rolling his eyes before flying up and placing the star atop the tree.

∆

Later in the evening found Louis and Harry resting by the fireplace after their long day decorating the house. Louis was bundled up in his dressing gown, his face just visible from underneath the fluffy hood, toes covered by his warmest socks. Harry was nestled in the hood itself, eye-level with Louis, and he had wrapped it partially around his tiny body to keep out the bitter cold.

Harry, it seemed, was intrigued by the holiday season, and was currently quizzing Louis on everything from the colour scheme, to Santa, and even snow, something that he had apparently never seen.

“But you must have seen it somewhere,” Louis was saying, “even just in a drawing or something?”

Harry shook his head, curling closer into Louis. “I have never seen it Louis, not even in a painting. I have always wished to, but I hibernate through the cold months. We awake in the spring, when everything is approaching warmth again.”

Louis saw the morose look on his face, heart tightening suddenly in his chest, and he looked down softly at the little faerie.

"I wish I could make it snow for you,” he whispered, watching as Harry's face broke into a soft, delighted smile.

“I wish that too,” he murmured back, settling back down next to Louis and drifting off to sleep.

∆

Louis awoke slowly, content and warm, burrowing down further into the duvet. His eyes blinked open, drinking in the early morning light illuminating the room from beneath the curtains. 

He stretched, sighing contentedly as his bones popped, and pulled the duvet around his body, making his way over the the curtains and yanking them open. Squinting against the sudden onslaught of light, it was then Louis realised that something was missing. Harry was missing.

Not that it was ever a guarantee that Harry would stay, but he had hoped the faerie would at least be there for another day. Was it strange to miss someone you had only known for twenty-four hours? Probably, but, Louis thought as he got dressed, this whole situation was strange. Twenty-four hours ago he hadn't even believed in faeries or magic, or anything of the sort, but now here he was, missing Harry's illuminating presence beside him.

Making his way downstairs, blearily rubbing sleep out of his eyes and hiding a yawn behind his hands, Louis stopped abruptly. 

There was a man sitting in his kitchen.

He had his back to Louis, soft brown hair falling in curls down his back, staring out the window. Not typical burglar behaviour then Louis hoped, inching his way towards the man. When he was behind him Louis cleared his throat loudly.

The man whirled round, and the first thing Louis noticed was those green, green eyes staring back at him before he choked on air. 

Another impossibility, but then again, those had been happening a lot lately.

“Harry?” he asked incredulously.

The man smiled, ridiculously pink lips pulling into a perfect, blinding smile. “Hey Louis,” he said, voice so much deeper now, yet still gentle and melodic. “Surprise?”

Louis laughed, still smiling as Harry stood up to hug him, arms wrapping around his body and pulling him in. 

“Thank you for letting me stay,” he murmured into Louis' hair, squeezing him tightly and smiling as he pulled back.

Standing here, it felt as though the two of them were completely alone, the rest of the world falling away and leaving only them. 

Louis looked up, and only then did he notice what was different about today. Outside, instead of the usual expanse of grass and lush green forest there now sat a blanket of white.

Louis was struck with an idea, grabbing his hat and coat and taking Harry's hand in his. 

“C'mon,” Louis said, nodding towards the door. “I wanna show you something.”

∆

Entering the forest was like stepping into a different world. That's what Louis had always thought as a child when he had gone walks through the pines, running, playing, laughing. He had discovered a new world, somewhere only he knew about, somewhere he could truly be alone. Be himself.

Even now, all these years later he marveled at the forest and the wonders it held. He had always loved this time of year, it made the world seem like a different place. Happier, almost. 

The pine tops were coved in snow, looking like they'd been topped with icing sugar in the night, and some of it had made it's way down through their ancient branches, covering the path in a light dusting of it's own. The ground was frosted over too, the forest floor a perfect blanket of white, glistening in the weak light filtering through the trees.

Harry was glowing, illuminating everything by his presence alone. The forest seemed to come alive around him, what had once been barren and lonely was now filled with life, snow sparkling brighter with every step he took.

At last they came to the lake, snow covered banks surrounding the frozen water. Winter made everything seem more surreal, mysterious and bright, or perhaps that was just Harry, standing beside him, silently observing everything with those beautiful green eyes.

“Why have you brought me here Louis?” Harry asked him, the barest hint of confusion in his tone.

Silently, Louis held out his hand, and Harry, sweet, lovely Harry took it immediately. Louis stepped out onto the lake walking out until the ice felt like cracking beneath them.

“I used to come here as a child,” Louis said, voice barely above a whisper,. “I wanted to show you it.”

Harry smiled, eyes soft and ever so fond. He stepped closer to Louis, hand coming to rest on his cheek, noses brushing together as they swayed ever closer. And as they stood together, in the middle of the frozen lake, early morning light streaming down around their bodies, it hit him. 

Harry was like a light that had crashed into Louis' world and set it all ablaze. And, he thought, as Harry's lips brushed softly against his own, smiling, ever smiling, maybe that could be enough.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading xx


End file.
